Gary Neville Calls Mino Raiola a 'Joke' After Pep Guardiola's Paul Pogba Claim

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has branded Mino Raiola, the agent for Red Devils star Paul Pogba, a "joke."

Pogba starred for United on Saturday, scoring two goals as his side launched a remarkable comeback to beat Manchester City 3-2 in the Premier League. Afterwards, Neville discussed the France international's representative and recent comments made about Pogba by City boss Pep Guardiola.

"When I saw the stories breaking in the last 24 hours, the problem was—I think Jose said before the game—either Raiola or Pep is lying," he said on a Sky Sports podcast (h/t David McDonnell of the Daily Mirror). "Pep is probably being a bit mischievous. There is no doubt about that. And Raiola, well, I think he would lie to anyone really. He's a bit of a joke really. He's a poor reflection on Paul Pogba."

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Ahead of the meeting between the Manchester rivals, Guardiola told the press Pogba had been offered to him, along with former United man Henrikh Mkhitaryan, in the January transfer window.

Raiola previously called the City boss a dog and has since denied speaking to Guardiola about any of his players during the midseason transfer window, per Simon Stone of BBC Sport.

The comments added more fuel to what was always going to be a feisty affair at the Etihad Stadium, as City missed the chance to clinch the title against their local rivals. Pogba's second-half performance was the catalyst for United's recovery from being 2-0 down.

After the match, Pogba made it clear how important it was for United to get the better of City on Saturday:

The game also epitomised the Frenchman's time as a United player, as his standards fluctuated wildly.

In the first half, Pogba saw the match pass him by, as David Silva and Ilkay Gundogan bossed proceedings in midfield. After the break, the United No. 6 transformed into a force of nature, finishing off a neat move and then guiding home a brilliant header to put United back on level terms.

They are the type of moments Pogba is capable of conjuring, although he hasn't done so consistently for United.

Given the following statistic, Mourinho will want to see his midfielder getting on the scoresheet more often:

With Pogba, Mkhitaryan, Romelu Lukaku and Zlatan Ibrahimovic signing for United in recent seasons, Raiola has become associated with the club.

Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News wants that association to end:

Perhaps Pogba requires some fire in his belly to be at his best. The former Juventus man can amble through matches, although when he meshes his physicality, poise and goalscoring potential, as he did on Saturday, he's a fearsome prospect.

The comments in the buildup to the game may have triggered something in the United man to show his best on this grand stage. But the circus that often surrounds Raiola is an unwelcome distraction.